Technology

SEARCH Technology

Some online bargains too good to be true

Online shopping could be hazardous to your wealth — and your health. An investigation by the Government Accountability Office, a federal watchdog agency, found that many products sold by third-party sellers on popular websites such as Amazon.com and Walmart.com were counterfeit — and dangerous — and were often a total waste of money.

Cheap, substandard phone chargers could electrocute users, the GAO said, and bogus cosmetics have contained mercury, lead and other hazardous substances.

“Counterfeiting is not a victimless crime. It kills people,” said Bob Barchiesi, president of the International AntiCounterfeiting Coalition, a nonprofit industry group.

Counterfeiters have designed products that closely resemble the genuine items, making it increasingly difficult to spot fakes. Still, there are ways to protect yourself. Your safest bet is to buy directly from the manufacturer’s website and pay a little more.

If you’re a bargain shopper, the item you want is out of stock, or it’s only available on e-commerce sites such as Amazon.com, look for the three P’s:

Place. Check the manufacturer’s website to find a list of authorized third-party distributors. If the seller’s name isn’t on it, chances are the website is selling fakes.

You can also check sellers’ authenticity by contacting them directly. If they don’t get back to you, the phone number is out of service, or you can’t understand the response, don’t give them your business.

Packaging. Legitimate brands spend a lot of money on packaging. If the product’s listing states that there’s no packaging available with the item, that should be a warning sign that the item is a fake.

Price. Be skeptical of an extremely low price. If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.

Other red flags include extra-long shipping times, no established return policy, and suspicious reviews in the feedback section of the website. If the reviews are nearly identical, unabashedly positive and contain a lot of misspellings, they probably aren’t legitimate.

About the Beacon

Over 50 or love someone who is? Then consider the Beacon your resource for trustworthy information on health, money, technology and travel topics, as well as entertaining features, arts and events.

The Beacon’s award-winning content covers health, financial, technology, housing, travel and arts topics, as well as local events and feature stories. Readers of our four print editions pick up more than 400,000 copies each month at more than 2,400 distribution sites. We also mail copies to subscribers throughout the United States.